Anti-splash apparatus for a chemical toilet



Sept. 8, 1959 c. MINNITTE 2,902,698

ANTI-SPLASH APPARATUS FOR A CHEMICAL TOILET Filed Feb. 18, 1958 CR/ST/NO MlNN/TTE /N VE N TOR 8 WORREL A TTORNEVS United States Patent 2,902,698 5 ANTI-SPLASH APPARATUS FOR A CHEMICAL TOILET V Cristin'o Minnitte, Hayward, Calif. Application February 18,1958, Serial No. 715,871

4 Claims. c1. 4-115 The present invention relates to an anti-splash device for a chemical toilet and more particularly to improvements in apparatus for minimizing splash, especially of body irritating disinfectant or germicidal liquids, incident to use of the toilet.

Modern plumbing facilities have largely outmoded outdoor toilets orso-called dry closets. Nevertheless, there are still many applications for such toilets, such as on construction jobs, for.parks, and the like. In order to provide improved standards of sanitation, however, disinfectant and germicidal liquids have been added to the toilets for killing bacteria and germs in refuse or waste materials deposited in the toilets. Because of the high concentration of active ingredients in such liquids needed for efiective germicidal action, it is found that they irritate the skin upon contact therewith. Quite clearly, this can easily occur as a result of splash through the seal opening in the toilet unless protection is afforded. "It has been known to provide anti-splash, refuse deflecting devices for this purpose. However, the known devices have been subject to certain disadvantages which the subject invention overcomes. For example, it has not been possible in the past easily to insert or to remove the refuse deflecting device into or from the toilet for cleaning'maintenance and/ or replacement. Further, the strength of the germicidal materials frequently causes relatively rapid deterioration of the material of the deflectingl device so that case of replacement is an important factor. In addition, although it is known to mount a refuse deflectingdevice for guiding elevational movement in 'floatin'gcondition below a seat opening, the guide means of the prior art have been inadequate to insure free and unrestricted elevational as well as rotational movement as the liquid level rises and falls.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention tdprovidedmprovements in body protecting devices for use in chemical toilets.

' Another object is' to of the '-toilet., 7

Another object is to provide a chemical toilet which isisafe to use by minimizing body contact with skinirritating liquids employed for germicidal purposes.

"Another object is'to facilitate the insertion and removal of a refuse deflecting float body into and out of toilets provided for the purpose.

Another object is: to insure guided but unrestricted elevational movement of a deflecting body in floating condition on a liquid in a toilet. 1

Another object is to mount a refuse deflecting body for free arid unrestricted rotational movement below a seat opening of a toilet.

; Another object is to provide an apparatus of the nature described which is dependable, economical, simple, and highly elfective for accomplishing its intended purposes.

These, together with other objects, will become more fully apparent upon reference to the following description.

minimize splash incident to use 2,902,698 Patented Sept. 8, 1959 ice In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan of a toilet incorporating an antisplash apparatus embodying the principles of the subject invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the toilet with the front wall broken away in order to view the inside of the toilet where the anti-splash apparatus is located.

Fig. 3 is a somewhat enlarged transverse section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2.

Referring more partictlarly to the drawing, a toilet as provided by the present invention includes a substantially rectangular tank 10 having a bottom wall 11, spaced parallel end walls 12 interconnected by spaced parallel side walls 13, and a top wall 14. The walls thus enclose a chamber 15. v

The top wall 14 has elongated front and rear flanges 18 and 19 and a substantially rectangular cover 20 connected to the rear flange by means of hinges 21 for elevational pivotal movement between a closed position and an open position. The cover has a centrally located seat opening 22 therein of well-known form.

A pair of upwardly extended vent outlet tubes 25 are connected to the rear flange 19 of the top wall 14 and exhaust the chamber 15 of the tank 10 to the atmosphere. A reservoir 27 is mounted at one end in the tank 10 on the side and end walls 13 and 12 and provides an open top 28. A disinfectant or germicidal solution 29 fills the reservoir. A disinfectantsuch as lipal has been used with excellent results. 7

A urinal 35 is located adjacent to the tank 10. A conduit 36 interconnects the urinal and the tank and provides fluid communication between the urinal and the reservoir 27.

A pair of elongated substantially vertical guide plates 40 have upper and lower ends 41 and -42 rigidly se cured, as by welding, to the top and bottom walls 14 and 11 of the tank 10. The plates are thus mounted within the chamber 15 in spaced parallel relation at the front and at the rear of the seat opening 22 so that the seat opening is positioned therebetween. Each plate has an elongated slot 43 longitudinally extended therein and including an elongated generally rectangular restricted section 44 and an enlarged generally circular end section 45 dimensionally larger than the restricted section. It is significant to note, however, that the enlarged sec tions of the slots are locatedat opposite ends of the plates so that in one plate, the enlarged section is adjacent to the upper end, while in the other plate the enlarged section is adjacent to the lower end.

An elongated shaft 50 provides opposite end portions 51 rotatably and longitudinally slidably extended through the slots 43 of the guide plates 40*. Inner collars 52 are rigidly secured to the shaft inwardly of the guide plates 40 for 'restricting axialmovement of the shaft and thus to maintain the shaft in predetermined position below the seat opening 22. Further, outer Washers 54 are longitudinally slidably and rotatably fitted on the opposite end portions 51 of the shaft outwardly of the guide plates 40, and stop pins 55 are extended transversely through the end portions of the shaft outwardly of the washers for preventing movement of the washers endwardly off from the shaft. The washers are diametrically larger than the restricted sections 44 of the slots 43 and are thus precluded from passage through said restricted sections. However, the washers are diametrically smaller than said enlarged sections 45 so that the washers are permitted to pass through said enlarged sections.

Operation The operation of the described embodiment of the subject invention .is believed to be readily apparent and is .briefly summarized at this point. I

The body 60' rotatably mounted on the shaft 50 is inserted into the tank in the following manner. Preferably, the cover 20 is moved into its .open position to enable easy access to the chamber 15. The 'body and shaft are then extended between the guide plates 40 and with the shaft in substantially the same plane as the slots 43. The shaft is tilted into substantially acute angular relationship with the guide plates 40 to bring the washers 54 into opposed relationship with the enlarged sections 45 of the slots, as illustrated in dashed lines in 'Fig. '3. The shaft is then rotated in a clockwise direction whereby the washers fit through the enlarged slot sections and the shaft moves into the restricted sections 44- of the slots. The shaft is then released to allow the body 60 to float on the liquid 61 whereby the shaft assumes a substantially horizontal position, as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 3.

Use of the urinal 35 causes disinfectant solution 29 to overflow from the reservoir 27 into the chamber 15. However, splash of the liquid 61 including any germicidal solution which is present therein is minimized .because of the position of the body 60 below the seat opening 22. Refuse dropping through the opening strikes the body causing it to rotate either on the shaft or as a result of the shaft rotating Within the slots 43. The refuse .is thus gently transferred from the body into the liquid 61 and a clean surface is presented upwardly to the seat opening. It will therefore be evident that the float body efiects a selfcleaning action. When the chamber is .full as aresult of rise of the liquid level, the body 60 moves into a position immediately below or slightly extended through the seat opening 22 to prevent further use thereof until the chamber is evacuated.

It will be evident that the shaft 50 and body 60 can be removed from the chamber 15 by following a procedure opposite to that described above in connection with insertion of the float and shaft. :However, the guideplates 40 constrain the shaft and body to a vertical rectilinear path of movement without impairing its rotational movement as long as the body is floating freely on the liquid. Further, the inner collars 52 limit axial movement of the shaft so that the shaft remains in predetermined position unless tilted, as described above and illustrated in Fig. 3.

From the foregoing it will be evident that the subject invention provides significant improvements in antisplash devices particularly for chemical toilets adapted for outdoor use. The float body prevents splashing of potentially harmful disinfectant liquids on users of the toilet. Of particular emphasis, however, is the structure of the apparatus which facilitates its easy insertion into the toilet and removal therefrom for cleaning, maintenance, and replacement.

Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that .departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full .scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus.

Having described my invention, what I claim as ne and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A chemical toilet comprising a tank enclosing a refuse chamber, the tank having a seat portion providing a seat opening communicating with the chamber, a vent outlet, and a urine inlet; a urinal having an outlet; a rigid urine conduit interconnecting the urine outlet of the urinal and the urine inlet of the tank and rigidly mounting the urinal on the tank; a reservoir-smaller'lth-an the tank and mounted therewithin having a urine inlet connected in liquid communication to the urine inlet of the tank and having an overflow outlet communicating with the refuse chamber whereby 'urine flows from the conduit into the reservoir and thence into the tank; a liquid germicidal solution in the reservoir adapted to overflow into the tank incident to flow of urine from the urinal into the reservoir; and means mounted in the tank below the seat opening for intercepting and deflecting excrement deposited into the chamber through the seat opening and in advance of contact with said germicidal solution .for minimizing splash of the germicidal solution upwardly through the opening.

2. In a refuse tank providing a chamber adapted to contain a germicidal liquid'having skin irritating char:

acteristics and providing asubstantially horizontal .upper wall having a seat opening therein communicating with the chamber, an apparatus for minimizing liquid splash incident to gravitational depositof refuseinto the chamber through the seat opening, wbichapparatus is adapted for periodic cleaning, comprising a pair .of .opposedguide plates rigidly mounted in the tank in substantially erect. position below the seat opening and in spaced .substan tially parallel planes having the .seat opening therebe tween, the plates having elongated, longitudinally extended slots each including an elongated restricted section and an enlarged section .dimensionally larger than the restricted section; an elongated shaft havingoppositezend portions individually freely longitudinally slidably ex,

tended through the slots; a substantially cylindrical :refuse deflecting body concentrically mounted on the shaft be-,- tween the plates for floating on-such germicidaliliquidin the chamber below the seat opening and for rotation with the shaft; and stop members mounted on the opposite end portions of the shaft on the opposite sides of thetp'lates, from the body, and being dimensionally larger than the; restricted sections of the .slots but dimensionally smaller than the enlarged sections of the slots thereby topreclude passage of the stop members through said restricted secs tions and to enable removal of the deflecting body .from the tank upon registration of the stop members with their respectively adjacent enlarged slot sections and tupon' passage therethrough. I h 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein theplates have upper and lower ends; wherein the enlarged section ofv one of the slots is located adjacent to the upper end ,of its respective plate and the enlarged section of the .pther slot is located adjacent to the lower end .of its respective plate whereby the deflecting body is removed from ffthe; tank by moving the shaft into oblique angular relation with the plates thereby to bring the stop membersint'o' registration with the enlarged sections. f I

4. The apparatus of claim '2 including collars rigidly mounted on the shaft between the deflecting body and each plate for limiting movement of the body axially of the shaft and positioning the bodysub'stantially' directly beneath the seat opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

